Trolley-pole support.



No. 862,891. PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907. 11. W. FELLOWS & I. A. GAMMETT.

TROLLEY POLE SUPPORT. APPLICATION rum) APB. 13,1906.

UNITED earns PATENT ornron.

HUGH W. FELLOWS, OF OAHUENGA, AND IRA A. OAMMETT, OF HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

TROLLEY-POLE SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907.

Application filed April 13,1906. Serial No. 311,446.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HUGH W. FELLows and IRA A. GAMMETT, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Cahuenga, county of Los Angeles, State of California, and Hollywood, county of Los Angeles, State of California, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Pole Supports, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to trolley pole supports and provides means for holding the trolley wheel in contact with the current conveying wire, means for automatically releasing the pole and permitting it to drop to a disengaged position below the wire when the wheel jumps upward from the wire, manually operated means for returning the pole to its wire-engaging position, and means for preventing the rebound oi the pole when it drops or any improper upward movement thereof.

Figures 1 and 2 represent in partial side elevation and partial longitudinal vertical section a device embodying our invention in two positions. Figs. 3 and 4 are longitudinal sections on an enlarged scale of pertions of the device.

1 designates a sub-base suitably secured on the roof 2 of the car.

3 is a base swiveled on the sub-base l by means of a headed pin 31. The base 3 has vertically extending sides 32 and an arc-shaped lower portion 33 formed with a horn 34 at its rear end. Extending rearwardly from the base 3 is a spring carrying rod 35. On a pintle 36 between the sides 32 of the base 3 is swung a tension arm 4 having a bifurcate body portion 41 and an arm portion 42 between the outer bifurcate ends 43 of which is pivoted a pole arm 5 The arm 5 is shown as broken away in Fig. 1, but it is of course understood that in practice it may be provided with any suitable clamp for carrying a pole 51, indicated in Fig. 2. Two rods 6 are pivoted by means of eyes 61 at their forward ends, one at each side of the body 41. The rods 6 extend rearwardly one on each side of the rod 35 and have longitudinally adjustable connection by means of the yoke 62 with a collar 63 sliding on the rod 35. A thrust spring 37 on the rod 35 extends between the collar 63 and the rear of the base 3, and tends to turn the tension arm 4 on the pivot 36 so as to depress the forward end 43 of the arm. A lug 52 on the pole arm 5 is located approximately above the rear end of the body portion 41 of the tension arm 4 and is connected thereto by a toggle brace 7 formed oftwo parts 71 and 72 pivoted together at 73. The lower end of the brace portion 72 has a slot 74 through which passes a pin 44 which extends between the two sides of the bifurcate body 41. A second pin 45 also extends between the sides 41, the function of which will hereafter appeal: Depending from the collar 63 which moves longitudinally of the rod 35 is a bifurcate lug 64, in which is pivoted a dog 65. The rod 35 is provided at its rear end and at its lower side with a ratchet formed of a series of teeth 38. Secured adjacent the extreme rear end of the rod 35 between nuts 31 is a bracket 8, which carries a rearwardly extending cylinder 82, open at its forward end and closed at its rear end except for an aperture 83, beneath which in a pocket 34 is a ball 85 forming a valve for closing the aperture 83. Within the cylinder 82 is a piston 86, the rod 87 of which is connected with the dog 65. A thrust spring 88 is placed on the rod 87 between the piston 86 and a depending lug 66, which may be secured to or form part of the yoke 62, 01' in any case depends below the rod 35 forwardly of the nuts 81.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the trolley wheel at the end of the pole 51 is in contact with the current carrying wire. Owing to the resilieney'of the spring 37 the current wheel will be permitted suflicient motion in a vertical direction to follow the undulations of the wire. It is of course understood that the base 3 turns in the sub-base 1 so as to follow the horizontal curves or bends of the wire in the usual manner. In its operative position the pole arm 5 carrying the pole 51 is upheld by the toggle brace 7, the two portions 71 and 72 of which are nearly, but not quite, in an extended or right line position. It will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 that the portions 71 and 72 are held in their position by the engagement of a shoulder 75 at the lower end of the brace portion 72 with the pin 45 on the body 41, and that the pin 44 on the body 41 now occupies the upper end of the slot 74 in the brace portion 72. 1f owing to some accident the trolley wheel at the end of the pole 5]. escapes from the contact wire, it will be drawn sharply upward by the force of the spring 37. The effect of this is through the inertia of the pole arm 5 and pole 51 to lift the brace portions '71 and 72, the slots 74 riding on the pin 44 so as to release the shoulder 75 from contact with the pin 45. The pole arm 5 and pole 51 are thus permitted to drop to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. To prevent rebounding of the pole, by which the trolley wheel might strike against the line wire or the cross braces on which this is supported, and in general to prevent any improper upward movement of the pole arm and pole, 1 provide means for limiting v the action of the spring 37, which 1 will'now describe. The piston 86 is given sufficient play in the cylinder 32 so that under the ordinary relatively slow movement of the collar 63 caused by the vertical undulations in the trolley wire, the piston will follow the movement of the collar and the dog 65 will be held out of operative engagement with the teeth 38 on the rod 35 by reason of the thrusting action of the light spring 88. On the other hand, any sudden or rapid thrusting action of the spring 37 is resisted by the compression of the air behind the piston 86 in the cylinder 82 so that the rod 87 acts to lift the dog 65 into operative engagement with the particular tooth 38 adjacent thereto.

It will be seen that our device permits the necessary vertical movement of the contact wheel to follow all the vertical undulations of the line wire, and that no matter at what height the line wire may be above the car, that is, no matter what the angle of the pole arm 5 and pole 51, a slight sudden upward movement caused by a disengagement of the contact wheel with the line wire will always permit the breaking or folding of the jointed brace 7 so that the pole drops out of any possibility of striking against the line wire or its connections. It will also be seen that the dog 65 is normally held out of operative relation so that any ordinary vertical movement of the trolley pole is permitted while a sudden upward movement such as would be caused by a re bound under the action of the spring 37 after the pole dropped from its operative position is fully prevented.

It is obvious that certain mechanical changes may be made in our device Without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We do not herein claim the subject matter shown and claimed in our co-pending applications No. 27 8,590, filed September 15th, 1905, and No. 288,678, filed November 23rd, 1905.

What we claim is:-

1. In a trolley pole support, a pivotally supported pole, means for raising the contact end of the pole into operative position against a line wire, means for releasing said raising means and thereby permitting the pole to drop to a nonoperative position below the wire, said releasing means being operated by an upward movement of said pole from its operative position, and pneumatically controlled means for limiting said last-named upward movement of the pole.

2. In a trolley pole support, a pivotally supported pole, means for raising the contact end of the pole into operative position against a line wire, means for releasing said raising means and thereby permitting the pole to drop to a non-operative position below the wire, said releasing means being operated by an upward movement of said pole from its operative position. the angle of releasing movement of said pole being independent of the angle of its operative position, and pneumatically controlled means for limiting said last-named upward movement of the pole.

3. In a trolley pole support, a pivotally supported pole, spring actuated means for raising the contact end of the pole into operative position against a line wire, a part fixed with regard to the movement of said pole, a second part connected to be operated by the movement of said pole, a rack on one of said parts, a pawl on the other of said parts, and pneumatically controlled means for engaging said pawl in said rack, for the purpose specified.

4. In a trolley pole support, a base, a part pivoted on said base, a pole arm pivoted on said part, a jointed brace between said part and said pole arm for supporting the latter, means for normally maintaining said brace in an approximately right line, said maintaining means being constructed and fitted to release said brace when said arm is raised above its operative position, a spring for raising said arm, and pneumatically controlled means for limiting the action of said spring.

5. In a trolley pole support, a pivotally supported pole, spring actuated means for raising the contact end of the pole into operative position against a line wire, a part fixed with regard to the movement of said pole, a second part connected to be operated by the movement of said pole, a rack on one of said parts, a pawl on the other of said parts, and pneumatically controlled means comprising a cylinder and a piston in said cylinder, the rod of said piston being connected to said pawl, for engaging said pawl in said rack, for the 'purpose specified.

6. In a trolley pole support, a base, a part pivoted on said base. a pole arm pivoted to said part, a jointed brace between said part and said pole arm for supporting the lat ter, means for normally maintaining said brace in an ap proximately right line, said maintaining means being constructed and fitted to release said brace when said arm is raised above its operative position, a spring for raising said arm, a rack secured to said base, a pawl movable with said pole arm, and pneumatically controlled means for engaging said pawl in said rack comprising a cylinder connected with said base and a piston connected to said pawl,

'for the purpose specified.

7. In a trolley pole support, a base, a part pivoted on said base, a pole arm pivoted on said part, a jointed brace between said part and said pole arm for supporting the latter, a rod extending rearwardly from said base, a collar movable on said rod, links connecting said collar with said pivoted part, a spring on said rod between said base and said collar for raising said pole arm, a rack on said rod, a pawl on said collar, a cylinder connected to said rod, and a piston in said cylinder connected to said pawl for engaging said pawl in said rack to resist the rapid extension of said spring, for the purposes specified.

S. In a trolley pole support, a base, a part pivoted on said base, a pole arm pivoted on said part, a jointed brace between said part and said pole arm for supporting the latter, a rod extending rearwardly from said base, a collar movable on said rod, links connecting said collar with said pivoted part, a spring on said rod between said base and said collar for raising said pole arm, a rack on said rod, a pawl on said collar, a cylinder connected to said rod, a piston in said cylinder, a rod connecting said piston with said pawl, and a spring on said piston rod constructed and fitted to maintain said pawl out of engagement with said rack under the normal action of said pole arm raising spring and to permit such engagement when said lastnamed spring moves rapidly, for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUGH W. FELLOWS. IRA A. CAMME'JIT.

Witnesses M. It. KING, S. I. DUNN. 

